# Code Snippets Use code snippets when you need to show a piece of code that users will copy and paste into their site or app. Snippets are not editable. If the snippet needs an ID or a certain variable to be inserted, you should insert the ID into the snippet. ![alt text](http://design.optimizely.com/assets/img/design-patterns/product/code-editing/code-snippet.png "example of code snippet") ## Copying Code snippets should be easily copyable. Display them in a read-only input box that selects the text when the user clicks into it, and provide a copy button next to the input. This makes it easy to copy with a keyboard shortcut or by clicking a button. This also avoids errors while copying, such as not selecting the entire snippet. ## Snippet Usage There should be a clear message about what to do with the snippet after it's copied. For example, "Paste this into the tag of your website." The message should also include what the snippet will do, such as "This will allow code to run on all of your websites."